Would a radiation weapon actually work?

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. — Federal authorities accuse two local men of building a portable weapon that could remotely bombard people with lethal doses of radiation, but could such a weapon actually work?

Dr. Saqib, a radiologist at Nathan Littauer Hospital said making such a device is not impossible — but it would be a very difficult process to put together.

He said it would take thousands of chest x-rays for a person to die of radiation poisoning and to make a specific weapon, it would take a lot of heavy machinery and large doses of radiation. He added that a tractor trailer would probably be needed to
cart around the machine.

According to the doctor, x-ray radiation scatters in all directions, so to have such a lethal device pin point a target, it would be a difficult process.